I had previously posted that Barack Obama’s strategy to win the Democratic nomination was similiar to a bicycle racing strategy.  The cover of the latest issue of the Weekly Standard (shown above) has a cartoon of John McCain and Sarah Palin on a bicycle.  I am glad to see that my prior post has influenced others in the media to embrace the cycling analogy for this election. 

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There are 11 aqueducts along the C&O canal.   The aqueducts were bridges that carried the canal across large rivers that crossed the canal’s path.  It must have been a strange site to see a canal boat being pulled by mules as it floating across an aqueduct.  The aqueducts include a tow path for the mules in addition to the channel for the water.  The picture below, from a sign at the Monocacy aqueduct, gives a view of how the aqueduct looked in operation. 

The Monocacy Aqueduct is the largest Aqueduct on the canal and is 438 feet long.  The Aqueduct was used by Union troops during the Civil War and had been a target of the Confederate Army, but had avoided destruction twice.   Once it was saved by a Canal employee who convinced the Confederates it would be easier to drain the canal rather than destroy the Aqueduct if their intent was to stop traffic on the Canal.   The second time, prior to the battle at Antietam, the Confederate soldiers did not have enough explosives or time to complete the mission.  More details on the Aqueduct including its Civil War history can be found at this Smithsonian website and at the National Park Service website.

The Aqueduct is located at Mile 42 on the Canal.  The mile measurements begin at Mile 0 in Georgetown, Washington D.C.  The Aqueduct can be visited on day trip from the Washington area.  To make it a shorter trip than biking all the way from Georgetown, starting from Great Falls (mile 14), Riley’s Lock(mile 23) or Whites Ferry(mile 35.5) are good options.  All of those locations are easily accessible by car.   Additionally another options for a day trip would be to drive to the Monocacy Aqueduct and then bicycle the round trip to and from Harpers Ferry (mile 60).   Of course, you don’t have to bike, driving to the Aqueduct and hiking in the area is always an option.

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This is a great opportunity to help a good cause and maybe win a bike tour.  The information is on Brad’s Livestrong web page.  You have to hurry because the contest ends on October 8.  The minimum donation is only $5 but if you give more, you will have more chances to win.  I found out about this contest through the FatCyclist blog.  Fatty, the author of the blog, is a fellow cyclist, who is supporting the fund raising because his wife Susan is fighting cancer.  

My mother is a cancer survivor and my father died of heart disease, so I regularly support fund raising events to fight these diseases.   Please donate generously to a very good cause.

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